Manhattan
Judd stepped off the jet bridge at JFK Airport, the crisp New York air a refreshing contrast to the recycled cabin oxygen he'd endured for the past few hours. The sun was high, bouncing off the sprawling tarmac, and for a moment, he relished the simple pleasure of stretching his legs. But there was no time to waste. His real work was just beginning.
Throwing his duffel bag over his shoulder, he made his way to the cab stand, dodging the endless parade of tourists, suits, and New Yorkers who moved with the practiced efficiency of people who had seen it all. A battered yellow taxi screeched to a halt in front of him, the driver—an older man with a thick Brooklyn accent—barely acknowledging him before jerking a thumb toward the backseat.
"Where to?"
"Liberty Street."
The ride downtown was smooth for New York standards. Judd watched the Manhattan skyline rise before him, steel and glass giants casting long shadows over the pulsing streets below. The closer they got to the Wall Street district, the more the organized chaos of the city hardened into the cold precision of the financial sector. Corporate towers, unmarked office buildings, security cameras on every corner. The perfect place for a group like “The Room”, The Inkwell Order’s Technology Operations Center, to operate in relative anonymity.
The cab slowed to a stop outside a nameless building, one of those unremarkable glass-and-concrete fortresses that could either be the headquarters of a hedge fund or a deep-cover intelligence front. Judd paid the driver, stepped out, and walked briskly to the entrance, slipping his forged ID badge from his jacket. ANNIE, Squid Squad’s AI, had ensured it would pass the system’s scrutiny.
A bored security guard barely looked up from his newspaper before waving him through.
The elevator ride to the 66th floor was silent except for the soft hum of the mechanisms hidden behind polished steel panels. The moment the doors slid open, Judd stepped into a different world—a cavernous, low-lit data vault, bathed in the faint glow of red LED lights. Rows of high-end computer rigs, server clusters, and fiber-optic cables tangled across the space like an electronic jungle. Hard drives stacked like books, screens filled with streams of indecipherable code.
And at the center of it all, a man in a white lab coat, hunched over a keyboard, completely in his element.
"Judd," the man said, without even turning around. "Welcome to The Room. Long time no see."
Judd smirked. "Hey, Joshman. Long time indeed. Not that I need to ask—I know you've been tracking us 24/7. And honestly, I don’t even wanna know how."
Josh turned, finally gracing him with his usual devilish grin, the kind of look that suggested he knew far more about the world than anyone had a right to. The two men shook hands before Josh pulled him into a quick hug, then stepped back and flicked a bit of dust from his sleeve.
"Surveillance is an art form, my friend," Josh quipped. "I just happen to be Michelangelo."
Judd glanced around, dodging a few stray cats as he pulled a small metal drive from his pocket and placed it on the counter.
"I’ve got a job for you. Need everything off this, yesterday."
Josh plucked the drive up like a jewel thief inspecting a stolen diamond, turning it in his fingers with obsessive curiosity. "Lemme guess—this came from Wolf’s yacht?"
Judd nodded. "The Lazarus Code. We need to know everything."
Josh’s eyes lit up at the name, his fingers already flying across the keyboard as he plugged the drive into one of his machines. Green lines of code scrolled down the screen, interweaving with encryption barriers designed by some of the most brilliant (and dangerous) minds in the world.
Josh whistled low. "Damn. Wolf doesn’t play around. This encryption is beyond government-grade. I mean, this is next-level, black hole-level encryption. Not even the NSA could crack this easily."
"Which is why I’m here."
Josh finally looked at him, flashing that half-amused, half-sinister grin that always made Judd slightly uneasy.
"This’ll take some serious work," he muttered, already lost in the challenge, his mind ticking through possible solutions faster than most people could process a single sentence. "If Wolf really is using genetic mapping on the junk DNA of the global population, this could be the biggest find in decades. Or the biggest threat."
Judd clapped a hand on Josh’s shoulder, already heading for the door. "I’ll check back in 48 hours. Try not to break too many international laws in the process."
Josh gave him a two-fingered salute without looking up. "No promises, boss."
Judd stepped into the elevator, exhaling slowly. He had a bad feeling about what they were going to uncover. And if he was right, cracking this drive was only the beginning.
Next stop: Riley. Because if Squid Squad was going to stop Wolf, they were going to need a hell of a lot more money.
